


Jumin x MC Week

by firei



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Jumin x MC week, JuminMCWeek, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-01-06 19:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12217701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firei/pseuds/firei
Summary: Collection of the prompts I've chosen and written for the Jumin x MC Week <3





	1. Alternative Universe: Fairytale

Jumin Han had never believed in fairies. He had better things to do.

His kingdom had never been so thriving since he’d succeeded to the throne. Wealth and prosperity were not only the present but the future of his people, above whom he ruled with a firm and just hand. He was still a young king; however, in that short amount of time he’d already proven himself worthy of the responsibilities that came with the crown.

And still, in spite of all that, everyone had another topic in mind.

—I swear on my life, I saw a fairy two nights ago!— Yoosung, the son from a lesser family, fervently spoke to a slightly unconvinced Luciel, one of the king’s advicers.

—Tsk… I think I’ll need further proof, your word is worth nothing if there’s madness in you. Maybe you see things that aren’t real.

That made Yoosung stutter while the king walked past them. He stopped only for a second and glanced towards the two with a disapproving look.

—I’d rather you wouldn’t waste anymore of your time giving thought to such nonsense while there are more important things to care about. May I assume you’ve finished the tasks I assigned you both?

That served to make them excuse themselves, although Luciel had a mischievous smirk plastered on his features. Jumin sighed, still not used to his advicer’s manners even after years of service.

A few days after, Jumin found himself thinking back to that conversation. It wasn’t much like him to take an interest on such childish tales, and he hadn’t really: to be honest, he was presiding a ball he didn’t care about, for his father had insisted he got to know a few eligible bachelorettes that could, perhaps, reign beside him. Marriage occupied such a low place among his priorities that the king would rather think about non-existent fairies instead.

He was at it while the aristocrats and vassals danced before him. Suddenly, a glimpse of pink light caught his eye, thus startling him lightly. He immediately recomposed himself and dismissed any unrealistic ideas by solving that the vision had been a trick of the dusk light entering the halls. However, said trick reappeared closer to him a couple more times, to the point where not even he could deny what he’d seen.

“It must be some rare variety of a firefly,” Jumin thought dully.

The flicker vanished through a side door.

“…”

The king stood up and excused himself, asking the gathered to enjoy the ball while he took care of some important matters. His firm yet hesitant steps soon became a reluctant march when he found himself alone in the garden. What was he doing? There was no more strange light, he’d just abandoned the throne and his duties to pursue an inexistent idea. Why was he even curious, for crying out loud?

A few pink sparks went beyond the garden and towards the royal forests. Jumin breathed out as he resumed following it, his heart beating faster than usual –he’d speak to his personal doctor regarding that matter, for he couldn’t risk falling sick– while he hurriedly made his way through the trees and bushes. The pink light would appear from time to time to ensure he didn’t get lost, and soon enough it wasn’t just a pink light but a blue one as well. Then a third one, yellow, came accompanied by a green one.

Jumin arrived to a clearing in the middle of the forest and felt the need to rub his eyes. He didn’t do it, for he feared that everything would vanish into thin air if he moved one more inch.

Fairies. Fairies all over the woods. Fairies dancing, fairies singing, fairies flying and laughing. Fairies brushing the vivid locks of a beautiful stranger, a woman who looked human but didn’t quite seem so.

Jumin sat beside her and learned everything there was to know about fairies from her soft, hypnoticing voice. He’d often finish early with his tasks to mount his horse and go visit the woman raised by fairies, for she’d been left in the woods as a baby and the fairies had adopted her like one of their own. Nonetheless, and as much as she loved her godmothers, she longed to live among humans. Jumin offered her a place by his side with the freedom to come and go as she wished until, finally, she took it.

Jumin Han had never believed in love, which might suit this story. He’d never believed in fairies either, and the irony of fate had wanted for him to find one through the other. Still, even after seeing with his own two eyes, he was sure he’d never believe how lucky he’d been. For the rest of his life, however, he remained thankful and humbled to those mysterious forces of the universe that had wanted to see him happy.


	2. Realization

“You’re not like Elizabeth the 3rd.”

Jumin had been lazily going from one idea to the next one while on his penthouse, almost ready to finish his day. There were lights on all over the city to fight the night’s darkness, one that he found appealing and relaxing. One that would also easily threaten to consume him whole if he ever allowed his twisted thoughts to run wild.

He sighed, grasping at his glass of wine as he smelled it before sipping it again. His cat jumped on him with a light purr and made herself comfortable on his lap, which got a faint smile on his features as the fingers that weren’t busy holding the glass stroke her soft and familiar fur. That’s when he thought of you, your kind and understanding words on the messenger, your beautiful and calming voice through the phone. You, and the presence that from far away managed to quiet down those demons and dismiss his entangled strings even if it was just for a few minutes.

He felt compelled to call you again, and unconsciously reached for his phone. He felt anxious to the thought of you not picking up, or to the idea that maybe his call was out of place as it was very late and you needed to rest. However, you picked up almost instantly and listened to him as you always did, your words encouraging him to open up rather than judging him during his pathetic moments.

He said it then out loud. He told you how he didn’t think you were like Elizabeth the 3rd, to the point of admitting how you could understand him better than her. Better than anyone, actually. And as he said it, an unfamiliar warmth crawled down his chest to his stomach, were it rested similar to a purring furball. Not even the end of the call for your sleep’s sake could erase the smile that blossomed for the first time on his lips. One he’d never suspected he could make.

He drank wine, he caressed Elizabeth and he thought of you. Curiosity was eating him whole, swallowing all of his previous thoughts to leave only you in his head, and he wished to call you again and talk with you all night. There were so many questions he wanted to ask you, so many things he wanted to know about you… damn, even if you didn’t say anything of much interest, the mere thought of hearing your voice was something to look forward to like a child on Christmas!

He shook his head, trying to clear himself, but you wouldn’t vanish. Secretly, he didn’t want you to go either. Ah, what was that? What was he feeling? Was he… perhaps… falling in love?

He had his answer a few days later, as he opened the door to you. Of course he was. How couldn’t he?


	3. Forbidden love

MC had never been able to keep herself in check when it came to teasing her brother. She loved Zen dearly, more so when his cheeks lit up cherry-alike while he stumbled upon his own words, trying to reason with her through logics that only he could understand.

It’d been a happy accident that she had ended up at Rika’s apartment that day. As soon as everything was discovered in the RFA chatroom, MC began talking about childhood memories that quickly became teasing material for Seven, Yoosung and even Jumin.

—Stop telling them embarrassing stories about me as a kid!— he’d complained after a good twenty minutes of scolding her for following a stranger’s instructions so eagerly—. And be careful over there, don’t you dare open the door to anyone unless you know them. And of course, no boys allowed, do you hear me?

MC heard loud and clear, though caring was another side of the story. She soon teamed up with Jumin to tease Zen; the more he asked her to stop, the less she’d listen. Jumin’s sassiness and puns were far too funny and horrible not to follow up.

As days went by, Zen witnessed with panic how MC and Jumin chatted increasingly amiably and shared common interests, such as cats. His calls to his sister only became more insistent with his ongrowing concerns.

—Stop talking with Jumin Han! He’s a jerk!

—Only you think that, Zenny~. Jumin’s fun— MC purred from the other side of the phone, nearly causing her brother a heart attack.

—He isn’t fun, he’s a jerk! He overworks Jaehee constantly and won’t stop calling normal people commoners as if he were some sort of king or something, how can you even stand him?! Besides, his jokes are no fun, and he’s weirdly obsessed with that cat of his… aaahh… Aaaaahhh… achoo! A-anyway, he’s so full of himself and…

MC dropped her phone on the couch and resumed going through her secret stash of pictures of Elizabeth the 3rd that Jumin had sent through the chatroom, knowing all too well that her brother wouldn’t shut up for a few hours. When she went to sleep that night, Zen was still making a list of reasons why Jumin Han was unbearable.

Needless to say, hell unraveled the day Jaehee asked MC to pay Jumin a visit.

Zen didn’t care of how bad the businessman was feeling; he’d been waiting in front of his building as soon as he’d seen in the chatroom that MC had agreed to the meeting, and the minute she arrived he forced her to go back home with him.

The RFA chatroom was chaos since they had no news of her, so when finally she logged in, everyone was impatiently waiting to know what had happened.

–MC entered the chatroom–

 **MC:** I have been kidnapped.

 **Yoosung:** http://pa1.narvii.com/6255/21dfd52c458b96afd4a4c00709cde75f065f29fa_hq.gif

WHAT?

HOW?

 **707:** lololololol  
need help?

 **MC:** Nah  
I’ll escape when he’s not looking

–ZEN entered the chatroom–

 **MC:** Gasp! My cue out  
See ya!

 **ZEN:** MC! YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO USE YOUR PHONE

–MC left the chatroom–

—MC!

The so-called ran and hid under Zen’s bed. Only those two know what kind of war ocurred there, but somehow she managed to flee and arrived at Jumin’s sweaty and breathing heavily. 

—MC? I wasn’t expecting any visits, especially from you. You look incredibly altered, is there a problem?

—Haven’t you… read… the messenger?—Jumin’s surprised features were enough for her to know that, indeed, he hadn’t. She rested her arm on the doorframe while regaining her breath before attempting to explain herself—. Jaehee was worried about you. She begged me to come see you, but when I arrived I got kidnapped and had to escape.

Jumin’s shock transformed into fury as he invited her in, asking for the details while mentally going through all of his lawyers’ phone numbers. Not even the fact that the kidnapper had been MC’s brother made him change his mind, so she had to soothe him and take that burden off his shoulders; as if he didn’t have enough on his plate by then.

The CEO found himself calmer as minutes in MC’s presence went by. He was still upset about the whole kidnapping incident; however, since MC didn’t want to deal with Zen constantly nagging at her, they decided it was best to keep her presence at Jumin’s penthouse a secret and asked Seven to pretend that she was back at Rika’s apartment, to what he complied.

It was hard to disguise that situation as days went by, especially since the feelings involving Jumin and MC were growing stronger and clearer. They had to pretend that they weren’t that close in the chatroom, though Jumin became sassier towards Zen to relieve the frustration that the whole thing left him feeling. MC soon noticed it, but turned the teasing to a minimum knowing that she’d need Zen as unbothered as she could get him before telling him about her… boyfriend. Because, yes, they’d kissed. And as all the problems started to get solved one by one, Jumin’s relaxation had allowed him to get closer to MC.

Even with all the lying, there was no guilt involved whatsoever –although MC did think it was a bit thrilling to have a forbidden love. As hard as it was pretending that Jumin and she were only friends at the party, the parts were they sneaked around to share kisses, sweet nothings and a bit of intimacy –and sometimes quite a lot of it– were exciting for both of them.

The sneaking around didn’t end there. MC went back to live at Zen’s place, but often spent the night at Jumin’s while telling her brother that she was watching his musicals with Jaehee during girls’ nights. Poor Baehee didn’t like lying, but MC was turning Jumin into a softer being who’d make sure to give her proper vacations, so in the end she agreed to it only if they truly had one of those girls’ nights –which they did.

The least happy with the arrangements was Jumin himself. As much as he’d talked about it with MC, there never seemed to be a good time to tell Zen about their relationship and all that lying around was beginning to exhaust him. He then decided that something needed to be done; taking matters into his own hands, he did all of his planning and waited until the following RFA party, where he proposed to MC in front of everybody.

And then, the murders began.


	4. Jealousy

MC had moved in with Jumin after being released from the hospital. She’d had an accident and, even though she could live a normal life, as a precaution the doctors told her to have someone nearby during the first few weeks so that they could keep an eye on her. Jumin offered –or rather, he imposed– to be that person since they were close friends already, but some unspoken feelings were about to make things complicated.

MC had just returned from a walk with Zen. They were great friends as well, just like she was with the rest of the RFA members, though the actor had been feeling particularly uneasy upon having a defenseless woman living with the trustfund jerk all by herself. MC made sure to calm his worries and returned from her walk with a smile on her face. And that’s when the conversation with her roommate happened.

—As long as you live under my roof, you’re not to date other men.

MC’s words got stuck on her throat as she realized a small detail. She stuttered briefly before asking the question.

—I’m not to date… _other_ men? Men other than who?

—Isn’t it obvious?— he immediately replied, his frown more accentuated than before. He observed her shaking her head from the corner of his eyes, then sipped a bit of wine before speaking—. You’re not to date men other than me.

She froze in the spot, the clash of relief, excitement and wrath washing over her body as she contemplated the man in front of her. She’d fallen in love with him long before he’d even begun caring about her as a friend, but there were things she would not tolerate.

—I’m giving you a chance to retract from those words. You cannot forbid me something like that.

—Then I suggest you make yourself comfortable, for the wait’s going to be rather long— MC clenched her fists, refusing to believe her own ears. Jumin tilted his head before her silence and glanced at her as if nothing unusual had occurred—. If you want, I can call the chef and ask him to bring you some treats over.

That was enough. As much as she wanted to excuse his behaviour, MC knew she couldn’t do so. She grabbed her purse and looked at him, fury in her eyes, before opening her mouth.

—You have no say in what I do with my personal life.

—I believe I do, since you’re staying he-

—That’s why I’m leaving— she cut him off. For the first time that night, he seemed surprised—. And just so you know, I actually had no interest in dating men other than you. Next time, instead of trying to control everyone, perhaps you should just come clean about your own feelings and see what happens.

She left him shockedly sitting there. For what felt like the entire night, he cursed himself while the strings became tighter and more tangled around his neck, his wrists, his chest. He had messed up so bad that he knew: no matter how long he stood there, staring at the front door, she wouldn’t walk past it again. Jumin had to acknowledge his mistake and make up for it.

He surely wouldn’t let himself rest until he made things right.


	5. Jealousy – part 2

Jumin Han didn’t rest, indeed. He was too busy feeling jealous.

His early intentions of mending things with MC as soon as possible had been frustrated by her constant, shameless flirting with Zen in the RFA chatroom. He knew she simply intended to prove her point, though his everlasting frown and the lump on his throat only made him angrier. Jumin was a man of pride, and even if he knew he’d wronged MC, her punishment for his sins felt more like a childish retaliation. At that point, admitting his mistaken ways would only make him lose his dignity, and that was something he wouldn’t allow.

To be fair, MC wasn’t flirting with Zen any more than she had used to before it all happened. That’s why she was honestly confused as the days went by with no calls from Jumin. Did he really not want to talk about it? Did he really not intend to apologize? Her frustration grew alongside his, and so she began showcasing a passive-aggresive attitude towards Jumin while intently not speaking to him.

The tension grew to a point in which everyone was feeling uncomfortable just thinking about the RFA. The chatroom was impossible, with MC and Jumin aggressively ignoring each other. At work, Jaehee was at her wit’s end from having to deal with a permanently annoyed Jumin, whereas MC and her constant hate towards the CEO was becoming too much to bear even for Zen, who realized with a bit of self-hatred that he’d started to pity the man.

—Why don’t you just talk to him first? Tell him to apologize and finish this nonsense already.

She stubbornly crossed her arms on her chest, upset over Zen’s suggestion.

—He’s the one who should be coming crawling to apologize. I don’t want him to say he’s sorry just because I told him to.

Zen sighed, knowing full well it was time to put their plan in motion. Seven had come up with it since it had been almost two weeks with Yoosung not daring to enter the chatroom. Last time he had, he’d seen himself in the middle of a very awful conversation in which both Jumin and MC were speaking to him without acknowledging the other’s presence. That had made Yoosung so uncomfortable that he’d erased the RFA app until things were solved.

That’s how it all came down to that one day.

MC was rushing over to Seven’s place after he’d asked her for help without giving much more information. She’d been instantly led to the room in which the problem allegedly was.

—Now you’re here… fOREVER!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

—Seven?— MC turned around just in time to see him closing the door and locking it from the outside, his evil laugh sounding further and further while she yelled and banged the door—. LET ME OUT OF HERE, DAMMIT!!

He didn’t let her, of course, so after a while she just sat on the floor. The room was barely so: its size made it look more like a locker that was starting to make MC breathe uncomfortably. She wasn’t claustrophobic, but being in there without knowing why or when her friend would let her out was getting to her nerves.

Once the wrath had vanished, she realized that there were petals on the floor and glued to the walls.

—What the actual f…?

The door opened, Jumin Han was pushed inside and Seven’s evil laugh sounded while they became, once again, locked.

—Luciel, what’s the meaning of this?— Jumin asked after a quick brush of the room to assess his situation.

—You two aren’t getting out of there until you sort it all out! Stop being so stubborn, both of you, and make amends!

MC huffed while Jumin scoffed. They stared at each other, surprised and offended by those reactions, before proceeding to look elsewhere. It was so tight in there that Jumin could only sit on the floor besides MC, and whenever their shoulders brushed they cringed.

However, even for two stubborn people as them, it was hard to keep their rage at full potential at a constant rate. MC’s stomach growled after around twenty minutes of silence, causing Jumin to worry.

—How long have you been kept in here?

—Not much— she answered hesitantly, noticing the concern in his voice—. Why did you come?

Jumin didn’t respond immediately. When he finally did, MC understood why it had taken him longer to speak up.

—Luciel said you were in trouble. I didn’t imagine the problem was that he’d kidnapped you.

They both sat with an odd feeling, wanting to fix things but still too proud to take the first step. In the end, MC heaved a sigh and looked at Jumin reluctantly.

—Thank you for coming to help me even though we were mad at each other.

—You’re welcome. And, while we’re at it, I must apologize for the way I’ve been acting so far.

—Me too— MC was quick to add, relieved to see that things were really working out—. I thought you would talk with me sooner and then felt awful seeing that you didn’t, but I didn’t really handle the situation all that well.

—You sure didn’t— he scoffed. The jealousy came crushing in again, but he did his best to restrain it—. If your flirting with Zen was a revenge over what I said the night you left, I must admit it’s a very childish attitude. 

MC finally understood the reason why Jumin had held on to pride; she didn’t know whether to feel relieved or outraged that it was jealousy all over again. However, the fact that he seemed to be throwing that at her face all over again, as if she were to blame, was getting on her nerves.

—I wasn’t flirting with him to get back at you, you self-centered brat!

His eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.

—Must that mean you like him?

—And what if I did?

Jumin’s displeasure was obvious. He chose to give himself some time, think his words through before saying something he could regret later, and only then he spoke.

—If you do, then I assume I have nothing to do but accept it.

MC noticed how his fists were clenched. Her fingers brushed his lightly and her heart got caught in her throat when he turned to look at her.

—I don’t like him. Our flirting is just friendly— Jumin’s eyes were still on hers, so she boldly added:—. I like you.

Surprise crossed his features; after that war of pride, he hadn’t expected her to maintain an interest in him. As she realized what he was probably thinking, she laughed nervously.

—We can leave all of this behind and just talk about our problems in the future, okay?

—Sounds fair to me— his small grin had MC falling for him all over again (thank God she was already sitting on the floor). After a brief moment of hesitation, Jumin decided to ask—. May I kiss you?

She nodded, feeling how her blush gradually intensified as he neared her slowly. Their lips barely brushed as they noticed how they’d both been looking forward to that touch. MC’s arms circled his neck and Jumin embraced her to deepen the kiss; it had been too long of a journey, but it had thankfully paid off.

Jumin gave himself a moment to admire MC’s beautiful face, her features lit up by her flushed cheeks and her undying smile, when they both heard some muffled romantic music at the other side of the door.

—Does Seven…? How does he know…?

The businessman shot glances everywhere until spotting the camera that the hacker had probably installed for that moment. His laughs were then audible from the outside.

—Luciel, let us out right now.

He finally did, seen as Jumin was using his CEO scary voice. However, when he turned around to look at MC and held his hand out for her, she only saw tenderness and desire in his eyes.

—We shall continue this at a more private space, if you’ll agree to it.

Without a hint of hesitation, she took his hand.


	6. Wedding

-Fancy abroad location: check.

-Biggest chapel in the city: check.

-Amount of money invested in the event equal to the Marshall Islands’ total GDP: check.

MC was obviously uneasy as she walked from the car to the entrance, always careful not to step on her own dress with her beautiful and tailored high heels while holding on to Jumin’s hand as if her life depended on it. The Chairman Han was getting married in less than fifteen minutes, yet he’d called his son to discuss important matters right before the ceremony.

—Do you think he might be having second thoughts?

—Rather than that, I’m more inclined to believe that he’s worried about C&R’s deal with the new Japanese partners. Hence why I brought the data along.

He was, indeed, carrying a binder with all the documents necessary to ease his father before his big day. Said binder remained unread as the Chairman and his son spoke, and soon after Jumin went out of the room with a frown.

—It appears you were right. The wedding’s off.

—What?! How? Why? Nani the fuck?

MC held Jumin’s hand as he heaved a sigh.

—A few investigations on the bride revealed some financial trouble that she was trying to get rid of by marrying my father. Luckily he didn’t fall for it this time, though it was a close call.

However, Jumin was in charge of buying some more time until his father appeared and shared the news with the guests. MC was besides him all along, and as she spoke about how unfortunate it was that they had to cancel everything right when it was all ready, Jumin’s eyes widened.

—There will be no need to cancel everything if there’s a wedding in the end.

—But your father isn’t getting married, Jumin…

—I wasn’t necessarily speaking about him— his grey eyes shone with determination and excitement as he collectedly bent a knee on the floor, thus having his beloved MC almost die right there and then—. MC, I already feel married to you, though at the same time I can’t help desiring for that feeling to become a reality as soon as possible. I’d love for us to start building a future together today, so will you let me be your life companion?

MC dropped to the floor and hugged him while nodding violently, her tears letting room for no words to be spoken. They allowed themselves a couple of minutes to rejoice in their bubbly excitement before standing up and rearranging everything in as little time as they could.

The ceremony would take place at the mansion where the previous wedding’s reception had been supposed to take place at, for there was an incredibly beautiful garden full of flowers and a fountain. They moved the guests there and had them waiting over some wine and music as MC hurried to find a dress for her special day. Jumin ordered his subordinates to wake up and bring the RFA members and MC’s family over in a private jet, which cost him months of complains from Zen –who’d been woken up and practically kidnapped, forced to fly in his pyjamas. Yoosung, Luciel and Jaehee had also been woken up but their excitement had managed to beat any hard feelings against the whole ordeal.

The couple had luckily brought Elizabeth 3rd along for the trip since they would’ve missed her had she been home, so as soon as everything else was solved, the only thing they had to do was wait until the plane had landed and all of the guests were there.

A bit too soon, MC found herself ready to walk down the aisle. She had then started to feel all the nervousness that any other bride would’ve prepared to face during the engagement. Since she’d had mere hours to get rid of that anxiousness, it hadn’t worked out so well.

That’s why, as expected from a nervous bride in high heels walking on a path of grass…

…she fell.

All the guests laughed as she pulled herself up hurriedly and attempted to advance towards Jumin, but her legs decided not to work that day and she fell _again_.

Everyone laughed harder, Luciel with his peculiar “Lolololololol” and all. MC couldn’t walk properly, for each step she tried to move forward she’d have a fall on the ground that would gain more laughter and even some seal clapping.

—This feels like a constant déjà-vu, MC, with you falling for me all over again.

After his splendid joke in between giggles, Jumin Han finally reunited with his bride midway and offered her a solution. That’s how, in the end, she skated her way to the altar.

—Well done, my dear— Jumin’s fond eyes shone as they suddenly focused on Elizabeth the 3rd, purring in MC’s arms. She stared at the two of them confused—. Shall we proceed now?

A few moments later, Jumin was placing a beautiful ring on his cat’s paw before leaving with her on a jet-pack to their honeymoon. MC watched them, not so sure of what had happened and a bit hungry as she hadn’t eaten for the whole day.

She was honestly bewildered to be waking up. She felt Jumin’s arms locking her further into his body as he sleepedly purred in her ear, and she smiled happy to realize that none of the events had taken place.

And that was the last time MC went to bed without having dinner.


	7. Parenthood

MC couldn’t feel anything but anxiety to the thought of labour going wrong. However, more than her, it was Jumin having a hard time and she wanted to remain as calm as she could for the both of them.

She hadn’t had time to get changed out of her pyjamas: as soon as she’d noticed that something was wrong, MC had called Jumin to inform him and he’d left work to take care of the situation. They’d arrived at a clinic in time to be told that the doctors needed to induce labour to prevent any mishaps on both the mother and the babies.

Jumin was dead pale as they waited. MC took his hand and made him rest his head on her shoulder, kissing his hair from time to time. That made him relax significantly. He then sighed.

—Everything’s going to be fine, my love.

Her soft voice got through to Jumin, who in that moment wanted nothing more than to believe what the love of his life was saying. He held on to MC, arms circling her against his chest this time, and he locked his eyes on her with both fear and fondness.

—Promise me you’ll never leave my side.

—I promise. We’ll go together through everything, Jumin, you’re not alone anymore.

The door opened then and a familiar face greeted them with a sweet smile after taking his sanitary mask off.

—Yoosung! I mean, doctor Kim…!— MC jumped from her seat and walked towards him, followed by an uneasy Jumin—. How did it go? Can we see her?

—Everything’s fine— the vet responded to calm them both down, which happened immediately—. Elizabeth the 3rd’s a bit tired but perfectly healthy, and so are all five kittens. Do you want to come see them now?

MC took his husband’s hand and, after blissfully looking at him, he nodded and they were guided inside by Yoosung.

The following weeks were a thrill for the nine of them. Jumin had the penthouse become kitten-proof and restricted a few rooms for them to not lose any. He also personally tended to Elizabeth the 3rd’s wound and made sure that she ate and rested properly. As for MC, she was a mess of kittens and lack of sleep. Jumin often had to force her to go to bed because she didn’t want to part from her beautiful, tiny balls of fur and love.

—I have barely hugged them today, Jumin! Please, just five more minutes, Ravioli’s purring on me again…!

That’s how they usually ended up falling asleep on the couch with the kittens scattered on top. Even though Jumin’s back ached in the morning, the view of his sleepy wife surrounded by Elizabeth the 3rd’s kittens was rewarding to the point of erasing his pain.

The couple were looking for families who’d adopt the kittens. MC had irremediably fallen in love with Ravioli, so she was keeping that one, and even though they managed to find new homes for the other three, the remaining one was a tough bean. MC had named him Dusk, as his whole body was black and his eyes were similar to the golden lights from the sundown. He usually preferred to stay away from his siblings and often found new hiding spots to avoid all kinds of contact from both his cat and his human families. MC had managed to warm up to him enough to feed him, although he’d always hide as soon as he was done eating and would react aggresively to anyone who neared him without his consent.

—He reminds me so much of your friend from college— she commented once casually, talking about one of Jumin’s aquaintences from his studying days: he was also independent, a bit aggresive and allergic to hugs, but he had a heart deep, very deep inside his chest.

—I could reach out to him, perhaps he’s interested in adopting a cat.

He “wasn’t”, though he took him in as a mere favour to the couple, who knew very well how fond their friend was of his new cat even if he wouldn’t show it. Dusk also seemed happier nearby someone who could understand him, and in no time they became inseparable.

The kitten fever soon wore off, though Jumin would never get over walking in the living room and facing the darling image of MC tenderly cradling Ravioli to sleep while dancing slowly to the soft music that her husband liked so much. Jumin approached them both and hugged MC’s waist, placing a kiss on her head before leaving another in between Ravioli’s ears.

“Perhaps it’s time for us to have one of our own,” he thought with a tiny smile as they danced quietly in each other’s embrace.


	8. Birthday

—Happy birthday, Jumin.

His father greeted him as fondly as he could appear during a business meal, which was close to nothing. Jumin wasn’t bothered by this since he understood and his relationship with his father had never really been based on fondness, so they simply moved along to the discussion with the clients as usual.

The heir’s phone received quite the amount of birthday messages that he just ignored. What was so special about acknowledging a date as the day someone had been expelled from their mother’s womb? Jumin didn’t even remember such event, which probably meant it wasn’t as memorable as everyone else seemed to believe.

The stress of the day soon became exhaustion on his shoulders and back. He carried on with his duties diligently until it was finally time to wrap everything up and rest for the night. He ate dinner alone, as usual, occasionally glancing at the empty chair in front of him as if expecting someone to walk in and take it. In the end, Elizabeth 3rd rested there while her owner finished his food in silence.

Immersed in his thoughts, Jumin played his favourite music on auto-pilot and sat on his chair with a glass of his favourite wine. His slim fingers undid the knot of his tie before taking care of the few first buttons of his shirt, after which he heaved a sigh.

She didn’t exist. Not in his dimension, anyway.

He pulled out his phone after convincing himself, but there were no new messages. She couldn’t reach him, just like he couldn’t reach her. He pressed his lips, feeling tied and impotent in spite of his power and resources. There were things that not even Jumin Han could achieve, and when it was something he desperately needed, the blow was even tougher.

The minutes went by until they turned into an hour, then two. Jumin stopped pouring wine in his glass when he felt how his discomfort slowly became feelings hard to control. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.

And there, on the other side of the screen, there you were.

He blinked once, twice, unable to process the truth that his sight was rewarding him with. His eyes were locked on _yours_.

There was some hesitance before he cleared his throat, weighing how much he’d had to drink yet refusing to look elsewhere. After the initial shock, you decided you couldn’t let your chance go.

—J-Jumin…

His eyes widened. Had he heard right? Was he having visions, hallucinations? You smiled and his world suddenly made sense, warmth barging in with the light that you irradiated.

—Jumin, I can see you!

—I…— his voice sounded strange to him, more so when you nodded in excitement as you heard him—. I can see you too, MC. I’m afraid I’ve had too much wine tonight.

—No, no! I-I think this is happening for real!

He honestly wanted to believe that as fervently as you did. His half-empty glass rested on the table as he stood up, walking towards you without taking his eyes off of you. Even if it was indeed a hallucination, he didn’t want it to disappear. There was so much he wanted to say to you.

Before he could speak again, the alcohol making his head fuzzier and the task of finding words harder, you remembered the date and held the screen with both hands.

—Jumin, happy birthday! I’m sorry I can’t be there with you…

The first sincere smile of the day blossomed on his face without him being able to disguise it. He reached out, hesitantly at first, then slowly placed his hand on the screen. You immediately did the same, sad that you two couldn’t be connected beyond that, although Jumin’s fond expression made your heart skip a beat.

—I wished for you to be my birthday gift, and somehow I got it. Don’t apologize, MC, you’re not to blame for the mishaps of our relationship.

Jumin stared at you as if trying to absorb every little detail from your face, body, your expression, delighted in how simply looking at someone could bring him so much joy. Pure joy and hunger for more. 

—I’d like to hug you— he and you said at the same time, making you giggle as you neared your screen more. The wall between he and you wouldn’t allow any physical contact, but at least saying and hearing it felt kind of embracing.

—MC— Jumin spoke again, his free hand lifting a finger towards the screen as if to caress your face softly—, I love you. Even if it was just like this, seeing and hearing you today was the best birthday gift I could’ve ever asked for.

You felt the salt of your tears itching your eyes, but remained strong while looking at him.

—Jumin, I love you— your voice sounded as firm as it was sweet, and his grin melted your heart and made your knees weak—. I know sometimes you can’t see me or even know that I exist for real, but I do, and I always think of you. I’m always going to be there, looking after you even if you don’t notice it. I’ll always love you, and I’ll never forget you. I promise.

Jumin closed his eyes, taking all your words right into his heart and feeling hopeful and complete for the first time in a really, really long time. He couldn’t see you when he opened his eyes again, which brought back a bit of the afternoon’s sorrow, and even as you spoke to the screen he couldn’t hear you while he got back to his glass of wine.

However, before he left to his room, he looked towards the spot where you’d met him. After a brief moment, you saw him softly smiling.

—Even if my senses are limited, I have faith in you being there, MC. Even if I can’t see you…

There seemed to be something else he wanted to say, but he pursed his lips before sighing.

—You’re there. You have to be— another brief pause, his thoughts running wild, then three last words—. Good night, MC.


End file.
